San Jose Stealth Bombshells

By Rex

Last Saturday, I went down to sunny San Jose to catch the NLL game between the San Jose Stealth and the Portland Lumberjacks. I am ashamed to admit that though I come from Vancouver, BC, I have never watched or experienced a single minute of lacrosse until James told me about the Stealth. (Thanks for opening my eyes!) After watching two games now, I really think that the Stealth are one of the Bay Area’s best-kept secrets. And that also applies to their dance team, the San Jose Stealth Bombshells.

The Bombshells are headed by San Jose Saberkittens director Teri Schafer. This is her first year with the Bombshells. When the Stealth were bought by a new ownership group last year, Teri was given the task to change the look and personality of the old Stealth dance team (who were known as the Spygirls). The goal was to mold the new sqiad into a group that would match the team’s new look and family friendly philosophy.

The team is as poised and professional as the other more prominent Bay Area dance teams. This being only my second time seeing them and not knowing about the history of the squad, I was personally impressed at how polished they were.

Teri, whose past experience reads like a “who’s who” of the Bay Area teams – 6 years with the Warriors Girls, 49ers Gold Rush and the Raiderettes along with 8 years as director of the Saberkittens – explained that she and her staff completely overhauled the team this season, from the logo, uniforms (which are made by Contours) and squad members. She and her assistant Aimee, a former Saberkitten, choose to retain only four veterans from last year’s squad while the rest are rookies. They are happy with the current mix, and Teri definitely likes what she sees with the team.

I also had a chance to talk to two Bombshell members, co-captain Ashley (a 2-year veteran) and rookie Jennifer L. They talked about how the team, as a whole, has really evolved from what it was before – with the new ownership group came a new attitude, new direction and more fans. We also talked about how much they loved the opportunity they have with the Bombshells – that even if it’s sometimes difficult to juggle their careers (Ashley works in HR while Jennifer is a Realtor AND a mother of 3 boys!) and requires a lot of sacrifice, they do this because of their love for dance, giving the fans 120% every time. They love Teri, too, mentioning that though she may be tough on them, she also inspires them to do their best and work as a team.

Teri really has done an excellent job with the team. I think it’s amazing how far the team has progressed in a short amount of time and really speaks about the level of commitment that the team has to their craft. Kudos to Teri, Aimee and all the Bombshells for taking on the challenge and exceeding everyone’s expectations; you’ve all worked hard for this and it shines through during every single performance.